Random Building

2006 – Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Architect: Herzog & de Meuron

The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the “big five” museums for modern art in the USA, and was founded in 1879. Directly across from the museum are the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1988; and the Cowles Conservatory. The Walker Art Center underwent a renovation and expanded the museum in April 2005.

Opened in April 2005, the new expansion nearly doubled the size of the Walker Art Center. The expansion, designed by Herzog & de Meuron includes increased indoor and outdoor facilities, allowing for a better usage of resources from objects in the permanent collection to books in the library to an inside view of the artist’s own creative process. A key aspect of the design is a “town square,” a sequence of spaces that draw people for informal conversation, interactive learning, and community programs. The Cowles Conservatory contains a giant glass carp sculpture designed by Frank Gehry.